This invention relates generally to sheet metal connectors and more particularly to a support adapted to fill corner base gaps in flashing, and further to support patches which are applied to cover over and seal said gaps.
In the construction industry one recurring problem is that of sealing the intersection of a housing, such as a dormer or scuttle which is erected around a hole or port cut into a planar surface such as the roof of a building. Typically, the seam where the surface and housing meet is covered over and, more or less sealed off with aluminum, copper or galvanized steel flashing. As fabricated, such flashing normally comprises base and wall planar portions disposed more or less at a right angle to each other, each portion being adapted to bear upon the particular surface adjacent thereto. Connecting these two portions is an intermediate angular section, the angle and width of which will be a function of the ductility and thickness of the strip stock used to fabricate the flashing. In use, the flashing is normally nailed or otherwise fastened in place to the base planar surface and the housing walls. Where more sealing is needed, a bead of silicone, tar or other sealing material can be laid down along the two edges of the flashing to close off any air gaps which might exist. Where greater corrosion protection is required, the flashing may be covered with a vinyl plastic coating on the external surface. Techniques for producing and using such materials are well known in the construction industry.
When the surfaces being joined are substantially planar, few problems arise from the use of said flashing as described above. However, at the external corners where two walls on the housing intersect and abut at some angle, usually a right angle, a gap will arise in the flashing, at the point where the abutting walls join the underlying planar base surface, due to the divergence of the base and intermediate portions of the flashing. A normal practice is to cover over this gap with a plastic or tar patch which substantially covers this gap and seals it. However, while the patch is supported by the surface and walls to which it is attached, the portion lying over the gap in the intermediate angled section of the flashing is usually unsupported so that it presents an easily punctured point of weakness in the composite structure.